I. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to dilatation balloons containing polyesteretheramide copolymer.
II. Related Art
The use of balloon catheters for coronary angioplasty is known in the art. In an angioplasty procedure, a partially occluded blood vessel, i.e., one containing a stenosis, is treated by the use of an expanding balloon member which presses the stenosis back against the vessel wall. Typically, the expander member or balloon is carried on the distal end of a dilatation catheter which is routed through the vascular system to a location within, for example, a coronary artery containing a stenotic lesion. Following placement of the expander member across the lesion as desired, fluid is introduced into the proximal end of the catheter to inflate the expander member to a relatively high pressure, thereby restoring patency to the vessel. Coronary angioplasty procedures and angioplasty devices are described in detail in Vliestra et al., "Coronary Balloon Angioplasty," Blackwell Scientific Publications (1994).
Medical balloons that are known in the art are disclosed in the following documents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,964,853 and 4,994,032 to Sugiyama et al; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,906,244, 5,108,415, 5,156,612, 5,236,659, and 5,304,197, to Pinchuk et al; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,226,880 and 5,334,148 to Martin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,069 to Nobuyoshi et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,468 to Kaneko et al.; European Patent Application No. 0 566 755; and Japanese laid-open patent application No. 58-188463. (All documents cited herein, including the foregoing, are incorporated herein in their entireties for all purposes.)
It is an object of the present invention to provide a balloon for an angioplasty device which is made, at least in part, of polyesteretheramide copolymer.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art through familiarization with the specification and claims herein.